Mountain Brook Police Department expanding program to help those with special needs when officers respond

A FEW MINUTES. BACK TO YOU, ADRIAN. THANK YOU. THE MOUNTAIN BROOK POLICE DEPARTMENT IS EXPANDING ITS SPECIAL NEEDS ALERT PROGRAM. WVTM THIRTEEN’S. GLADYS BATTISTA IS IN MOUNTAIN BROOK TONIGHT TO EXPLAIN WHY THE DEPARTMENT BELIEVES THIS WILL HELP THEM BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY. YEAH, AND THAT’S REALLY WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. ADVOCATES FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS OR ARE DISABLED SAY IT’S IMPORTANT. MOUNTAIN BROOK POLICE ARE EXPANDING A PROGRAM AIMED AT HELPING OFFICERS BETTER RESPOND TO THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR DISABILITIES. IT’S CALLED THE SPECIAL NEEDS ALERT PROGRAM, OR SNAP. OFFICER MEGAN THOMAS SAYS IT EQUIPS OFFICERS WITH THE INFORMATION. WE JUST WANT THAT VULNERABLE POPULATION TO BENEFIT FROM OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES AS BEST AS WE CAN PROVIDE THEM. PEOPLE CAN REGISTER A LOVED ONE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR DISABILITY BY FILLING OUT THIS FORM. IT INCLUDES QUESTIONS LIKE IS THE REGISTER AND VERBAL OR NONVERBAL? DO THEY FEAR EMERGENCY PERSONNEL OR DO LIGHTS OR SOUNDS TRIGGER THEM? THESE QUESTIONS GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE PERSON, THE INDIVIDUAL, OR SOME OF THEIR INTERESTS AND PERHAPS SOME WAYS, IF THEY’RE HAVING A MANIC EPISODE OR THEY’RE PANICKED OR THEY’RE CONCERNED IN ANY WAY, WE CAN HELP TO CALM THEM DOWN UNTIL WE CAN GET THEM THE HELP THAT THEY NEED. GINA HYDE WORKS FOR WORKSHOPS EMPOWERMENT INC, A NONPROFIT THAT PROVIDES THOSE WITH DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS WITH JOBS FOR ANY AFTERNOON, PEOPLE EMPLOYED THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION WERE HARD AT WORK INSIDE THE WAREHOUSES WITHIN THE NONPROFIT HEADQUARTERS IN AVONDALE. BUT WHEN THEY LEAVE HERE, HITE SAYS, IT CAN BE A DIFFICULT WORLD, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DEAL WITH. SO FOR A POLICE OFFICER TO KNOW AT LEAST SOMEONE’S BASELINE RIGHT, THAT THEY HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA OR THEY MAY COME ON AND OFF OF THEIR MEDS, YOU KNOW, EVERY 2 OR 3 YEARS THEY MAY BE HAVING A MANIC EPISODE. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT THEY’RE BEING AGGRESSIVE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THEY NEED HELP. THAT’S WHY HITE SAYS SHE HOPES TO SEE THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM IN OTHER PLACES, TOO. IF WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD A PLATFORM AND A PROGRAM THAT HELPS EVERYBODY, IT’S A WIN WIN. YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROGRAM ON OUR WEBSITE, WVTM 13 IN MOUNTA